Oscar Combs
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was the championship of the NCAA against Syracuse last March. And his guest? Well. Bobby introduced him as one of his closest personal friends during his 16 years at IU and labeled him the best sportswriter in America. I was terribly disappointed when he introduced Hammel to the television audience. Know what I mean. Billy?
Three Wildcats Invited To Make All-Star Showings
This month and in January several Wildcats will get a chance to show their talents to pro scouts in senior all-star contests.
Tailback Mark Higgs, offensive lineman Dermontti Dawson and defensive tackle Jerry Reese will compete in this year's Blue-Gray game, played on Christmas Day. Higgs, now the owner of the all-time single-season Wildcat rushing mark, also will play in the next month's Hula Bowl. He ended his senior season with 1,278 yards, which topped the old Wildcat mark of 1,213 by Sonny Collins in 1973.
Dawson is scheduled to compete in the Senior Bowl (Mobile, Ala.) on Jan 23.
Earlier it was announced that Reese was named to the All-SEC squad, voted by the league's coaches. The Hopkinsville native was the only Wildcat to be selected. Reese, 6-foot-l, 259 pounds, is one of five 'Cats given a better-than average chance to make the professional ranks. The others are Dawson, Higgs, offensive lineman Greg Kunkel and placekicker Joey Worley.
Cincinnati Bengal scout Milt VonMann told The Cats' Pause that Worley is an excellent prospect. Reportedly, the sure-footed kicker will get more than just a looksee from the Cincinnati organization.
Worley finished his career as the all-time leading scorer in Kentucky history, connecting on 246 points. He finished fifth on the all-time SEC list for kickers and ninth in the overall scoring department.
# * * *
For the first time since 1979, four Kentucky Wildcats earned second-team All-SEC, as voted by the Associated Press. Those four selected were: Higgs, Kunkel, Dawson and Reese.
The SEC's first- and second-team backs looked like a Who's Who list of the nation's finest running backs. First-team consisted of Florida's freshman sensation Emmitt Smith and Alabama's Bobby Humphrey. At one time this season both Smith and Humphrey's name were mentioned in the same breath as the Heisman Trophy, respectively.
Tennessee has a fine freshman back of its own in Reggie Cobb. The SEC's touchdown leader this season, Cobb, a redshirt freshman, joined Higgs on the SEC's second-team.
^
Seven Wildcats earned a spot on the conference's All-Academic squad. Those who made that honorary list were: Kevin Dooley (3.01 grade point average, Business); Mark Higgs (3.16, Education); Tim Jones (3.12, Finance); Brad Myers (3.52, Social Work); Ken Willis (3.36, Education); Jim Hill (3.26, Marketing); and Mike Robinson (3.59, Education).
For Dooley it marked the third straight season he has captured this honor, while Jones earned special recognition for the second straight campaign.
UK. however, did not finish first in number of All-Academic selections, as it had the previous three seasons. The No. 1 honor this season belongs to the University of Mississippi, which registered 12 members.
Here's a rundown of the SEC teams and their All-Academic representatives, respectively: Mississippi (12); Florida (10); Vander-bilt (8): Georgia (8); Kentucky (7); Mississippi State (7): Tennessee (6); Alabama (4); LSU (3); Auburn (1).
* * * *
Freshman Chris Tolbert was named last week to the Knoxville News-Sentinel's All-
Freshman squad. This past season Tolbert. who hails from Pensacola, Fla., picked off 1 pass   at the defensive back position.
Russell Rice
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"I was blown away by what I saw," Jones told the Herald-Leader's Jim Warren. "The work was incredible. LaVon is extremely talented."
Jones subsequently arranged a showing of Williams' art at Jones' new gallery in Cincinnati. Other works are scheduled for shows in Florida and California.
Jones described Williams' painting style as one that features dramatic, highly-stylized figures. His sculptures are in various mediums, including carvings of musicians and performers, all having a strong African-American flavor. Williams has produced only two pieces with a basketball theme. He doesn't plan to produce any more.
As a player, the muscular Williams, recruited out of Denver, Colo., was a solid, but not flashy performer. "But Williams was always there," D. G. FitzMaurice wrote in the Lexington Herald, "pulling down a critical offensive rebound or keeping the ball away from the usually high-scoring player."
LaVon Williams' Kentucky Stats
Year	G-GS	FG-A	FT-A	Reb.	Pts.	Ave.
1976-77 (Fr.)	25-0	18-49	11-18	40	47	1.9
1977-78 (So.)	31-1	21-56	17-28	63	59	1.9
1978-79 (Jr.)	31-31	119-219	118-146	213	356	11.5
1979-80 (Sr.)	35-33	100-190	64-75	185	264	7.5
Totals	122-65	258-514	210-267	501	726	5.9
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MARZAN, WHO LETTERED AT LINEBACKER for the
Wildcats in 1980, currently is in Durham, N.C., portraying a superstitious baseball player in a movie about the lives of minor league baseball players. It is the story of a young player (played by Tim Robbins) on his way up, an old player (Kevin Costner) on his way down and a woman (Susan Sarandon) who has to choose between them.
In this latest career move, Marzan is returning to two of his loves, baseball and acting. A native of Puerto Rico, he played his first two years of football at Wurzburg, Germany, where he also was a star baseball player, making the German and European All-Star teams as a pitcher.
He came to UK from Columbia, SC., where he earned all-state honors as a tailback on Spring Valley High School's lower state championship team. He also played on two Spring Valley basketball teams that won regional championships.
After graduating from UK in 1983 with a degree in telecommunications, Marzan played baseball and Softball in Puerto Rico and then signed a contract with the Montreal Expos. When that didn't work out, he took some acting classes in Columbia, SC., and then went to New York, where he was cast in commercials and in small roles in other films, including No Mercy.
The writer and director of Bull Durham, Ron Shelton, also wrote Best of Times and Under Fire. It's an Orion Pictures film with a release date yet to be set.
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ANOTHER FORMER WILDCAT WITH artistic leanings is Chuck Jones (1976, '78, '79, '80), who is the art and advertising director of Lockmasters, a monthly trade magazine covering the lock and vault industry. The publication is located in Nicholasville.
Inspired by his artist brother John, Chuck served three years as president of the art class at Glasgow High School, where he was a two-year all-state performer. He played linebacker at UK, amassing more than 100 career tackles.
After graduation, he was in the sales and marketing division at the Kentucky Horse Park and continued in sales promotion. Having done quite a bit of work for UK, he currently is working on limited edition prints of Memorial Hall, the Commerce Building area and the Complex area. Proceeds will go into the UK scholarship fund.
Chuck and the former Kim Sudduth of Stanford, also a UK alum, have a newborn daughter, Regina Nicole.
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Bob Watkins-
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straight three pointers and it was tied. The game is never over now like it used to be."
Readers (right) write
Bill Ball of Elizabethtown writes to point out a mistake. Last week, in listing inductees for the newly formed Kentucky High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame, I wrote that Wah Wah Jones starred at Hazard High School. Not so. He played at Harlan High.
"A lot of people in this part of Kentucky confuse Harlan and Hazard." writes Ball, who is a native of Harlan. "But I should think someone who grew up in Corbin like you would know the difference. Next time you give away a Harlan athlete, give them to anyone other than Hazard, with the possible exception of Middlesboro."
Comment Right. And thank you.
Sid Rogers of Clarkson, Ky. writes to suggest that BoBo Davenport, who coached high school basketball teams at Clarkson, Grayson County and then Edmonson County to 522 victories, is a bonafide candidate for the Kentucky High School Hall of Fame.
"Bobo made first team all state and the state all-tournament team in 1945." Rogers says. "And, I think he should be considered for the great influence he had on the many athletes he coached, and also the lives of those students who were not active in sports. And, I'm sure you know, he was also one of the characters' in Kentucky sports."
Comment Thank you for writing. Anyone else?
People...
v And guard Ed Davender needed 352 points to reach 1.600 which would place him 10th on UK's all-time scoring list.
Footnote: Davender hopes to have a career in the NBA after his college days, "but whatever happens I plan to come back to the Lexington area and work in specialty advertising when I'm through playing basketball. This is where I want to settle down."
v Eddie Sutton. UK's victory over Cincinnati pushed Sutton's coaching record at UK to 52-15. In 19 years as a head coach he is 394-140 If Kentucky manages to go unbeaten through 1986. Sutton would celebrate his 400th career victory on New Year's eve when the Wildcats host Vanderbilt.
* University of Louisville coach Denny Crum is heading into his 17th season as head coach at UofL and is closing in on his 400th victory as well. Before the Notre Dame game Crum's teams were 388-128. If the Cards managed to win their first dozen games, Crum would celebrate his 400th career victory on Jan. 18 when UofL hosts Western Kentucky.
v Mississippi basketball coach Ed Murphy was asked if he's concerned about having to take his young team into the soon-to-be opened 25,000 seat Tennessee Arena. "Naw, I guess if you've been to Rupp Arena that's about as much aggravation as you're going to have. Of course I'm still more awed about who we're playing than where it is."
'Facts 'n fiction'
Sometimes fact can be stranger than fiction.
f*Earle Bruce is fired as head football coach for reasons that remain unexplained ... Indiana's basketball team is taken off the floor in the middle of an exhibition game against the Soviet National team and IU coach Bob Knight is reprimanded (again).
^Louisiana State University basketball coach Dale Brown signs 7-0 high-school basketball star Stanley Roberts from Hopkins, S.C., after hiring Roberts' high-school coach Jim Childers as an assistant at LSU.
Hours after signing Roberts, Brown stands up and tells reporters, "Sports agents are parasites," and "I think some coaches cheat. The 10 Commandments won't stop us. I've broken most of them myself."
i^Coach Howard Schnellenberger's record in three seasons as football coach at the University of Louisville is 8-24-1. Earle Bruce's record at Ohio State in nine seasons was 81-26-1 (eight bowl appearances) ... Schnellenberger was reported to be one of the candidates being considered to replace Bruce.
>^Two years ago, 7-6 Manute Bol, a native of West Africa, was a rookie with the NBA Washington Bullets. At the time he told sports writers he loved America, McDonald's hamburgers and was happy to be in the land of opportunity. Last week Bol was telling sports writers that he is glad that rookie Tyrone "Muggsy" Bogues has become the focus of the media. "Now everybody can bug him and leave me alone." Parting shot
Eight winters ago, Earvin 'Magic' Johnson was a junior at Michigan State University. Now a star with the NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers, 'Magic' was selected last month to Esquire Magazine's "register of outstanding people."
"The Register" is an exclusive recognition for those men and women whose accomplishments, values and dreams reflect America at its best.
And so it goes.